Andra Day is an American singer-songwriter who released her debut studio album – Cheers to the Fall – in 2015. It was received well enough. However, interested individuals might be more familiar with her because of her acting. After all, Day starred in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, which earned her the Golden Globe For Best Actress. As such, it will be interesting to see how her career progresses in the times to come.
Here is our opinion of the ten best Andra Day songs released so far:
10. “The Only Way Out”
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ has received five movie adaptations. The latest is 2016’s Ben-Hur, which failed to make back its $100 million production budget. Still, it did result in Day’s “The Only Way Out,” one of the better songs from the movie’s soundtrack.
9. “Strange Fruit”
Day included a cover of “Strange Fruit” on The United States vs. Billie Holiday soundtrack in 2021. That makes sense because the titular singer was the one who recorded and released the original version in 1939, meaning it was a natural choice for the biopic. It is no exaggeration to say that “Strange Fruit” is one of the most influential songs released in the first half of the 20th century. For those unfamiliar, the title refers to the bodies of lynching victims, who were black people living in the American South for the most part. “Strange Fruit” did a great deal to focus attention on the issue. Some people have gone as far as to credit the song with starting the civil rights movement.
8. “Forever Mine”
“Forever Mine” was Day’s first single from Cheers to the Fall. It exists in the shadow of its immediate successor, which met with a much more enthusiastic reception. Even so, “Forever Mine” is a lovely song that interested individuals shouldn’t hesitate to check out.
7. “Tigress and Tweed”
“Tigress and Tweed” is the third single from The United States vs. Billie Holiday soundtrack. This song is more than an album-mate to “Strange Fruit.” Its lyrics contain references to its older counterpart. However, “Tigress and Tweed” isn’t a revisit of the same topic. Instead, Day has commented that it is meant to spur people to act on their awareness rather than spread awareness. As such, “Tigress and Tweed” is a direct sequel to its older counterpart. Only time can tell whether it can succeed in that task.
6. “Stand Up For Something”
“Stand Up For Something” is another example of Day recording music for movies. In this case, she did a duet with the rapper Common for Marshall, a biopic based on Thurgood Marshall. There was a fair amount of critical interest, as shown by the song’s nominations for an Oscar and a Grammy. Unfortunately, “Stand Up For Something” failed to win either award.
5. “Burn”
“Burn” is Day’s contribution to The Hamilton Mixtape. It is one of the most thought-provoking songs from the play. That is because Eliza Schuyler Hamilton burned most of her letters, thus limiting our insight into her thoughts. There can be no doubt that this was a conscious choice because she did so much work in gathering, organizing, and preserving her husband’s writings, meaning she was well aware of how these choices would influence how people would be remembered.
4. “Gin & Juice (Let Go My Hand)”
“Gin & Juice (Let Go My Hand)” is more versatile than interested individuals might expect. After all, it is about someone wanting to let go of something they can’t let go of. The lyrics describe a narrator who feels this way about a person. However, the song was always meant to be capable of accommodating things rather than just people, meaning it is more flexible than it sounds on the initial listen.
3. “Gold”
“Gold” is another song about not-so-happy relationships. Specifically, the narrator is apologizing to an ex for having cheated on him more than once when they were still together. However, she didn’t realize how much the unfaithfulness hurt until someone else cheated on her.
2. “Cheers to the Fall”
Of course, “Cheers to the Fall” is the title track of Day’s studio album. It was never one of the singles, but it still stands out as one of the more memorable songs from the studio album. This song paints a messy picture that is nonetheless terrific to hear. Some people have compared Day to the late Amy Winehouse because of this song, which is no small compliment considering the latter’s artistic achievements before her untimely passing.
1. “Rise Up”
There was never a chance for any of Day’s other songs to occupy the number-one position on this list. This is her best-known song by far. For proof, consider how it went triple-platinum in the United States and once-platinum in the United Kingdom. On top of that, it was number one on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, meaning it missed out on the Hot 100 chart by the slimmest of margins. Even now, this means this song is the best-received of Day’s songs, though it remains to be seen whether anything will surpass it in the times to come.
Subject-wise, the song is more or less what one would expect based on the name. Essentially, the lyrics encourage people to stand strong against all of the woes we encounter in day-to-day life. The song recognizes that this can be tough, which is why its name suggests getting back up after getting knocked down rather than standing tall no matter what happens. An approach that makes it much more relatable for interested individuals.
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